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Grande-Rivière-du-Nord
, on Hispaniola]] "Bouch pale sa jieux woue." The mouth speaks what the eyes see. -Haitian proverb Grande-Rivière-du-Nord (Kreyòl: Grann Rivyè dinò; English: Great North River), also known as Ville de Grande Rivière du Nord, Sainte-Rose, or Grand/e Rivière is a commune in the Northern Department of Haiti and is the seat of Grande-Rivière-du-Nord Arrondissement. It is located on the river of the same name about 17 km (10 miles) south of the departmental capital, Cap-Haïtien, situated at an elevation of 92 meters ( 300 feet) above sea level. As of 2015 census, the commune had a population of 41,362 inhabitants. The city recently observed the tricentennial of its founding at St. Rose de Lima Church. Grande-Rivière-du-Nord is the birthplace of many of Haiti's rulers, among them first ruler, Jean-Jacques Dessalines. It has also been the birthplace of Haiti's intelligentsia Jean Price Mars, who pioneered the Negritude movement, inspiring the "Black is Beautiful" slogan of the 1960s. About In the Northern region, it is considered a well populated place. The municipality of Grande Rivière du Nord was founded in 1712. It has six communal sections. At the time of the Indians, it was called Guanarawi, Later with the white settlers it was called Sainte-Rose of Lima and a little later, unanimously, its inhabitants have seen fit to call it 'Great North River'. The law of November 20, 1821 fixed the legal distance of this commune to the capital at 64 leagues. The original territory included portions of the present day towns of Bahon, Ranquitte, and Mombin-Crochu. The village was erected as a parish under the name of Sainte-Rose, from which the patron saint arrived on August 30th. The church was rebuilt with materials from the ruins of Sans-Souci Palace. In 1892, the State granted 500 gourdes to execute the construction. In 1790, during the Haitian Revolution that led to the independence of the country, the mulatto Vincent Ogé led the popular uprising of the Grande-Rivière-du-Nord. During the occupation of Haiti by the United States from 1915 to 1934, Grande-Rivière-du-Nord was the base of the resistance movement led by Charlemagne Péralte. History • On the Cormiers plantation in 1758, Jean-Jacques Dessalines was born here. • Jean-Baptiste Chavanne, a companion of Vincent Ogé, was born at Grande-Rivière du Nord. He was a colored man and a farmer. He advised Ogé to lift all the workshops in 1790, to proclaim general liberty, and to annihilate colonial pride at one stroke. Ogé recoiled before this gigantic project. Chavanne nevertheless promised to die with him. The men of color, 150 in number, disarmed the whites of Grande-Rivière on October 24th, 1790, and claimed from the governor of Peinier the execution of the decree of March 28th, 1790, which Ogé had helped create to vote in favor of free men of color. General Vincent, at the head of 800 men Le Cap troops, attacked them with vigor, but he was beaten and had to return to Cape with the debris of his troop. The head of Ogé was then priced. Colonel Cambefort, of the Cape regiment, attacked him with 3,000 men, artillery, cavalry, and 200 armed blacks. Oge could not long fight against forces superior in number and better exercised; he abandoned the ground, and retired to the summit of the gloomy Beauséjour. We know the tragic end of this unfortunate attempt at enfranchisement. Chavanne's head was exposed in Cape Town, on the road to La Grande-Riviere, on February 23, 1794. • In 1791, during the revolt of slaves, Blanchelande had them attacked at Grande Rivière du Nord, where he established a camp. • On the 31st of December, 1794, Toussaint Louveture attacked the Spaniards established in this borough. He formed five columns of his army; the first, under the orders of Major Moïse, passed through Grand-Gilles; the second, under those of Major Charles, was to seize Camp Baujoin; the third, commanded by Noël, received the order to occupy Camp Buquet, situated at Montagne-Noire; the fourth, commanded by Lieutenants-Colonels Jerome and Flévaud, was to attack Camp Vauxel. He himself took command of the fifth. On the 30th of December, at night, the army set off. After launching his columns on the points occupied by the enemy, Toussaint marched his person against Camp Flamin and seized a fort after an assault. The enemy was tumbled on all sides. Toussaint ordered Dessalines to attack Camp Flamin, while the other columns were on Spaniard Crete, and assaulted all the posts which protected Flamin. After a vigorous assault, Dessalines removed this camp, which the Spaniards abandoned. Toussaint made himself master of Fort Cambon, and then proceeded recklessly into the mountains of La Grande-Riviere, where he carried away Camp Roque, Fort Saint-Malo, Camp Cormine, Bense, Salnave, and Dupuis, the Cardinals, and Ducasse. The latter was established on a height dominated by another camp; he dared not attack it, as well as Camp Pistau, for fear of being surrounded. He exposed to his lieutenants the location of the enemy positions, and exhorted them strongly to be masters of it. Moïse, Paprel, Dessalines, and Noël asked to walk, and went to Toussaint to follow him everywhere. The latter resolved to profit by the good dispositions of the army, which, like his chiefs, was full of ardor, though exhausted from fatigue. Jean Francois recoiled little by little in front of him in order to attract him to Camp Charles Sec, an excellent fortified position where he must infallibly have the batter. Toussaint removed Ducasse, Pistau, and all the advanced posts which protected this important position, in order to make it more easily to master. Toussaint was convinced that the path leading from Vallière to Camp Charles Sec was occupied by Noël Arthaud, one of his lieutenants. But he had not been able to resist the impetuosity of Jean Francois, who occupied this path after driving him out. Toussaint, believing that he had nothing to fear on that side, attacked the Charles Sec camp with all his strength. But Jean Francois, rushing upon him vigorously, overthrew him after a most obstinate fight, put his troops in full rout, and pursued him to the Montagne Noir, to Pico. • In 1796, one of the principal leaders of the rebels of the Grande Rivière, Malouba, made his submission to the government of the Republic with 3,000 of his own. They had offed Gagnet, the village commander. • In October 1801, the partisans of Moïse, who had seized Grande-Rivière, we're driven out out by Toussaint. • On the arrival of the Leclerc Expedition to Au Cap, in February 1802, Christophe burned the Cape, and went to Grande-Rivière, where Toussaint joined him, from there to head for Gonaïves. • The French were occupied at the siege of Crete-à-Pierrot, General Christophe traversed the department of the North with extraordinary audacity. He lifted the growers of the Grande-Riviere. This did not prevent him from delivering this locality to General Salnave, and to pass to the French, abandoning the cause of Toussaint L'Ouverture. • That same year, 1802, Sans-Souci, the most influential chief of the rebels of the North, who had taken the title of general-in-chief, had his headquarters at La Grande-Riviere. The other chiefs were Petit Noël Prayer, Jacques Tellier, Cagnet, Jasmin, Mavougou, Vamalheureux, Labruni, Cacapoule, all Africans. Sans-Souci had commanded the Grande-Riviere under Toussaint-Louverture, and in 1802 under Dessalines. • In 1807, General Dartiguenave, sent by Pétion to Grande Riviere du Nord to instigate trouble against Christophe, was captured and shot. • In 1809, the brave David Troy, colonel of the 22nd regiment of line infantry and senator of the Republic died at the attack of Fort de la Soude. The same year, Bergerac Trichet, after having seized the Soude, threatened to take Grande-Riviere du Nord. • On May 31, 1865, General Lubérisse Barthélemy seized, for the government of President Geffrard, Grande Riviere du Nord, which had made a pact with Salnave, and drove out the rebels. The 27th Infantry Regiment of Line was stricken from the army for taking part in this insurrection. But it was restored as soon as President Salnave came to power. • On July 4, 1878, Dorvil Theodore, at the head of a band, attacked the Grande Riviere du Nord. Almonor Mars, who commanded the town, was shot in the arm. The insurgents, forced to flee, were hunted down at Trou-Joli. • The Grande-Riviere du Nord was created in 1758 by Dessalines, a skillful general, who was happy enough to deliver his country and found his independence (Cormiers). He was proclaimed emperor of Haiti under the name Jacques 1st. He maliciously governed his country from terror and displayed against his fellow citizens the same rigors as against their oppressors, which was the cause of his fall. He died in an ambush at Pont-Rouge, near Port-au-Prince, in October 1807. • In 1824, President Boyer had a large number of black farmer immigrants here. • General Anselme Propète, the Minister of War of the President Légitime, was at the point of taking Grande-Rivière off the map when General Piquant's defeat at Dessalines took place. The first army corps of the West, in the absense of its leader, was obliged to evacuate all its positions in the North. The defeat became general and the Northerners marched against Port-au-Prince. A place of historical interest in Grande-Rivière-du-Nord is Gallifet Plantation where Haiti's slave revolt began, motivated by Vodun rites. Historical figures Grande-Rivière du Nord is also the birthplace of Phillipe Guerrier and Jean-Baptiste Riché, who were presidents of Haiti; General Yayou, one of our military glories, who, at the age of 26, had commanded the arrondissements of Grande-Rivière and Léogâne under Dessalines, but which sadly tarnished his glory by conspiring against the president Pétion, and was shot at Fort Campan; and finally, Milscent, who wrote the newspaper "l’Abeille Haitienne" ("The Haitian Bee") in 1818, and was a poet, as well as General Seide Thelemaque, who commissioned the district from 1876 to 1888. 230px-Jean-Jacques-Dessalines.jpg|Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Emperor of Haiti, c.1804 26Jean baptiste riche.jpg|Jean-Baptiste Riché. 6th President of Haiti, c.1846 Geography Grand-Rivière du Nord developed on the western banks of a wide rapid-flowing river at approximately 6,000 liters (1,500 gallons) per second of water into the sea. The municipality of Grande Rivière du Nord is inland and its dominant relief is the foothills. The river valley is flat and narrow, surrounded by steep hills and bluffs. The terrain becomes more rolling hills away from the river. This river flows relatively fast. The countryside surrounding the area consists of mixed forest and farmland, with large areas of orchards to the northwest. The departmental capital of Cap-Haïtien lies about 18 km (25 miles) to the north, and Port-au-Prince is about 175 km mi (109 miles) to the south. According to the IHSI, this commune has a total area of 128.15 square kilometers (49.48 mi²), of which 112.95 sq.km (87%), is rural, 15.20 sq.km (12%) of it is suburban, and 0.94 sq.km (1%) is urban. Grande Rivière du Nord is bounded on the north by the communes of Milot, Quartier-Morin and Limonade; on the east, by the commune of Sainte-Suzanne, on the south, by the communes of Bahon and Saint-Raphaël; and on the west, by the communes of Dondon and Milot. Grand Rivière du Nord is divided into six sections, which form at least 110 habitationa and 176 localities. The Grande-Rivière du Nord (River) serves as the north–south dividing line, separating the commune into two halves. There is a small hill that is part of the village. It is climbed by a place called '' L'Escalier , where are the ruins of an old castle. The village frequently suffers from the overflows of the Grande Rivière, which the Indians called Guaraia or Guaraouai. It takes its source in the hills of Vallière, crosses Saint-Raphaël, the district of Grande-Rivière du Nord, Quartier-Morin, and Limonade to flow south of the bay of Cap-Haïtien. Silver has been found in the mountains which contain the sources of the Great North River, and copper in the bed of this river. The town is named after the river that runs through it, the Great North River which also gave its name to the mountain range of the Grande Rivière du Nord. The river has its origins in the ridges of this range, part of the greater Northern Mountain ranges. Through Grande-Rivière-du-Nord town center, the river makes its course which is a permanently wide channel that brims with water in considerable depth. Through Northern Haiti's deep valleys, this river meanders and overlooks a number of steep ranges. The waters of this river drain in the large Atlantic Ocean. Healthy and delicious temperature. It is a locality of Haiti that is known for it's high centenarian population. In the mountains, the thermometer sometimes goes down to 9 above zero. On average there are 2,439 millimeters of rain per year. '''Demographics' The Inhabitants of this commune are named, Rivanordais, Rivanordaises. They celebrate August 29 and 30, St. Rose of Lima, patron saint of the city. Neighborhoods Infrastructure The commune comes from the financial, judicial, religious and school administration of Cap-Haïtien, which is 6 leagues distant. Its environment has avoided deforestation plaguing most of the country, it delivers superior healthcare services, and provides mountain spring drinking water. Transportation Grande Rivière du Nord is crossed by the Route Nationale 3. It takes around one hour to reach the nearest town by local transport. Transport in the region gets badly hampered due to this. Roads get washed away when hit by the tropical storms. Many times the roads also get submerged under the water due to flooding and storms. Education The Ministry of National Education of Youth and Sports is represented in the Commune by a school district office. The commune has two kindergarten of which one private and one congregational. Primary schools are 16 public, several private, and one congregational have been inventoried. At secondary level, it has six schools, two public and four private. In addition, two literacy centers and a vocational school have been inventoried in the municipality. Health The Ministry of Public Health and Population is not represented in the municipality of Grande Rivière du Nord. A health center with a bed with two doctors, two dentists and sixteen auxiliaries were located in the municipality of Grande Rivière du Nord. Security At the level of the administrative and judicial infrastructures, the commune has a court of peace, a civil court, a parquet, an office of civil status and a police station. The garrison consists of the 5th and 25th Regiments of Line Infantry, part of the 1st Battalion of the 4th Regiment of Line Artillery, the National Guard on foot and on horseback, the Administrative Police and the Rural Police. Utilities As for the availability of water, the town is well equipped. It has a river, over 100 springs, and dozens of wells and fountains. Regarding technical infrastructure such as electricity, mainly the city center is electrified. Economy The local economy is based on growing coffee, cocoa and fruit. Subsistence farming and fishing on a small scale are the main occupations of the inhabitants of La Grande Rivière du Nord. For fulfilling the homestead needs, waters of this river are well used. The outcome is abundant products, beautiful coffee plants, and food of all kinds. The first bees coming from the eastern part were acclimated; They came from Havana. Mining is important. Zinc, lead, copper, and silver are extracted. Other productions include, copper sulfate, antimony, sandstone, plaster, red ocher, and yellow siena. It hosts a lively market on Saturdays. A private morgue, four pharmacies, a photocopy service, a food supply business and a building materials depot form the economic establishments of the municipality of Grande-Rivière-du-North. Environment Tropical storms keep hitting La Grande Rivière du Nord thus causing flooding on an extensive scale and in turn hurricanes. The river breaks its banks due to extensive flooding. =Weather= Grande-Rivière-du-Nord. It is prone to natural hazards like drought and mainly cyclone, floods, and earthquakes. Climate Grande Rivière du Nord has a tropical climate. There is significant rainfall throughout the year in Grande Rivière du Nord. The rainfall is significant, with precipitation even during the driest month. According to Köppen and Geiger, this climate is classified as Af. The average annual temperature in Grande Rivière du Nord is 25.3 ° C. The average annual rainfall is 1644 mm. The warmest month is August with 31.6° C (88°F) and the coldest is January with 17.3° C (63°F) average temperature. Most of the sunshine is seen in February. The wettest month is May and the driest month is January. All through the year the temperature is constant. Culture Religion Nearly thirty-seven temples have been listed in the commune. The Baptist temples appear to be the most numerous, 16 in total. The East Lodge of the Grande Riviere du Nord, under the Grand Orient of Haiti, is entitled: The Commanders of Mount Thabor, N°23. Organizations The municipality of Grande Rivière du Nord does not have representation of political parties but, it has a popular organization and one NGO. Communication it had no phone at the time of the inventory. There is a radio station, however, it does not contain any newspapers / magazines or televion stations. Leisure As for Leisure, the municipality of Grande Rivière du Nord has a library with a parish hall that sometimes serves as a theater. However, she does not have a movie theater. Regarding monuments and sites, there are three types: natural, colonial and historical. References Commune Grand-Rivière du Nord http://www.fenamh.org.ht/commune/grderivieredunord fr.climate-data.org/location/48377/ =Education= The city also contains an excellent private school that rivals schools like England's Eton. Two religious orders run the school. ]] =Health= Children are underweight due to high hunger levels in this region. The city is one of the few places in Haiti to possess a large population of people living to 100 years of age. No one knows exactly why, but future studies may give up some answers. -- Michael Vedrine Category:Grande-Rivière-du-Nord Arrondissement Category:Nord Department, Haiti Category:Communes with 6 neighbors Category:Route Nationale 3 Category:Coffee production Category:Gold production Category:Assorted fruit production Category:Honey production Category:Mining production Category:Copper production Category:Silver production Category:Fishing production